JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The attorneys for a 79-year-old man who had his sentence vacated following a wrongful conviction in the 1970s called for the city of Jacksonville and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office to “right this wrong.”
Willie Williams and his legal team announced Wednesday that it filed to “sue the cops who framed him” months after the State Attorney’s Office dropped his attempted murder and robbery charges for an incident at a Jacksonville produce store in 1975.
“As we allege in the complaint, members of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office worked together to frame Willie for crimes he did not commit,” Attorney Lauren Carbajal said.
The SAO dropped the charges after it learned there was undisclosed evidence that was not presented to the defense during the trial in 1976. The SAO said that information would have ultimately led to his acquittal or a mistrial, but in a statement on Wednesday it said there were no findings to support the claim that law enforcement conspired against Williams.
“Mr. Williams received relief when his sentence was vacated. Though admissible into evidence in the 1970s, the State did not disclose to the defendant’s attorneys that investigating detectives used hypnosis during their investigation. This failure resulted in the defendant receiving a new trial. With the passage of time and the loss of critical witnesses, the State could not proceed. During our investigation, there were no findings to support a claim of exoneration, innocence, or that law enforcement conspired against Mr. Williams,” a SAO spokesperson wrote in a statement to News4JAX.
Williams was sentenced to life in prison and spent 45 years in prison. He was released in June 2020 at 75 years old on parole under lifetime supervision with the risk of returning to prison.
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“I think the time is to call on the folks of the city government of Jacksonville to right this wrong and ensure that Mr. Williams receives the compensation he’s entitled to. He’s had 45 years of his life, almost half a century stolen from him,” Paul Wright, human rights defense attorney said.
Williams’ vindication came after the Innocence Project of Florida(IPF), a nonprofit that advocates for innocent prisoners to obtain their freedom, stepped in and worked to vacate his judgment and sentence. In its investigation, it was revealed that a witness who initially couldn’t identify a shooter through a photo lineup was hypnotized by detectives and then pointed Williams out.
“They did this despite the fact that there was clear evidence that another man had committed these crimes and was responsible but because that man committed suicide shortly after the crimes happened, they decided to paint Willie as the shooter and caused his 45-year-long imprisonment,” Carbajal said. “There has never been any physical evidence to tie Willie to these crimes. Instead, he had to suffer in prison for almost half his life.”
Williams spoke about the anguish he endured while he was in prison.
“I suffered a lot of mental anguish, a lot of hardship from the environment that I was in. It was a prison. I’m elated from being free from that environment,” Williams said.
The toll still follows him as he said he still suffers from sleepless nights from what he saw when he was behind bars. He also shared his appreciation for his counsel, family and everyone’s support.
“I’m just happy and proud to be in good health, a sane mind and trying to move on with my life,” he said.
His counsel is seeking to recover monetary damages but did not specify a number, saying they are leaving that up to the jury.
“Money will never replace the time and the anguish and the emotional thing that I went through, but it will give me some confidence with my family and my wife to try to live the rest of our lives,” Williams said.
His attorneys said they have not received a response from JSO or the city regarding the lawsuit.